Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-10-21
Communicated.
COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERISTEHDENTS.
GOBBLER's CREEK,
Oct. Is. 1851.

benefit to II since that time. Meet
ing your Turkey Ran" correspond
ent of some months ago, we began
to chat over the merits OF the
speech, especially as referred to the
schools Of the STATE. During the
conversation things we're said
which started your humble servant
to thinking, and ne has thought for
week and feels sure he has started
to think.
Ifthe HERALD is willing he will
from time to time commit his
thoughts to paper "to be READ Of
all men, If they succeed in caus-
ing anybody else to think, the IN.
dersigned will consider his writing
to be not in vain. He will not stop
to inquire whether Democracy or
any other particular person or thing
be the father of the present school
system, or who, with parental care
and tender sOlicitude, has reared it
from Infancy to it's present state
All he has TO say, is, that the IA
ther may well 0e ashamed of his
child at this particular time. Just
now, if anything Can beat the free
schools for n knOck-kneed, bow
legged, hump.bacEed, double; joint
ed cripple, the owner of it can be-
come independent for life by apply
ing to p. T. Barnum. Ia the first
place nottingham be expected of the
schools as long as the school offices
are filled solely with politicians,
and are held simply to reward those
who have been particularly active
in political work. This has been
the rule since there have been free
schools. A good superintendent
was nj first put in Office in this
county. When the Readjusters were
successful they put in one of their
own political faith Though it must
be confessed one equally as good.
Now, very few individuals ever had
reason to complain of either Of
these two superintendent. When
Democracy again came out "On
top" everybody Of course expected
the then incumbent to be put ont
at once, and had no doubt at all
that the former superintendent
would be reinHtated, as he had
shown that he was fully competent
to discharge the duties of The Office.
That he could. and did do so, can
not be denied. Ability and zeal,
however, are not to he considered
when school superintendent is to
be elected. The faithful aid of an
individual or town 1--WE know not
which, "came mp for a memorial
before the G.. o. p, and a supern.
tendent was created. For one brief
wear he has labOred and tOiled to
improve the schools Of the county.
We candidly believe he has been
in earnest, and honestly aud will.
ingly cOncedc that he is as much
interested in the welfare Of the free
schools as were either Of his prede-
cessOrs. but if he works as hard
from this time forth as he has dur.
ing this year, he will have killed
the schools dedd long before his
term ends. If so, on the tombstone,
which marks the last resting place
of Shenandoah county schools, may
be inscribed the words which Jack
printed on the tombstone Of a small
chick which came to an untimely
end through his small sisters at.
tempt to forcibly feed it grains of
corn. viz. "CilLed bI Mistaken
KinDness.p We venture the as.
sertiOn that if the Democrats, alone,
were allowed a say so as to wheth.
er the present incumbent be con.
tinued, the vote of his own party
would surprise him. 1t needs no
magnifying glass to see the dam
age done to the free schools by the |
superintendent. Last fall, it will |
be remembered, a notice was first !
put in the papers that teachers |
might change text books or not as |
they chose. Directly afterwards,
another notice appeared requiring |
teachers to change at once, and in
formed them mat according to law,
their reports could not be receipted |
for unless they changed text books.
Then some teachers required the
pupils to change Immediately, and
those who had money did so. 9th.
ers, who were waiting until they
could scrape together the necessa-
ry cash to make the exchange, stop
ped studying the branches of which
the text books had been changed.
Before a large majority of the pu-
pills could get the books another
'n0tice" came, saying that books
need not be exchanged unless the
parties desired it. Then nothing
remained for the poor, Over.worked
teacher but to hear two classes IN
he same branch of study, because
some had changed and others had
rot. This fall he has happily let
he book question alone. for which
eachers are thankful as well as
hopeful that IN the future he will
lot take up his official pen to com.
nand until he, himself at least,
Knows what he is going to do. 1t
eems he is peculiarly gifted(O in q
his direction, Chat of saw ing things !
which he does not intend to say, or
bis mind after he says
hem). This summer, all remem.
'er, he published a "nOticev setting
Orth the fact that all teachers would
'e expected to "attend at least a
art of the term" and Immediately
fter were some English words that =
eaders OF the "nOticep took for
modest little threat, but when the
zeal editor of the HERALD, and
lr. Stanton, of this county Whose a
ocket book had been disappointed 4
little as result of the notice.,
)ok him to task he showed that he
ad been misunderstood. that's all. |
mother case of like kind: On 81
ne occasion of the second examin. a.
ton at Woodstock, in 1886, re. tr
orts to the official character of a
ustee in a certain District reach. al
| the superintendent cas-. He y
llled three gentlemen of the said
istrict 60 him and asked them to
commend some suitable person
=. tbo - fltno Of .ruo,o, 80, L.